Why Trump’s threat to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal is a concern for China

China is calling on the United States to preserve the Iran nuclear deal reached in 2015, after US President Donald Trump slapped new sanctions on the nation while threatening to tear up the agreement.

In a speech on Friday, Trump refused to certify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, accusing Tehran of committing “multiple violations” of the deal despite international inspectors saying it had complied with it.

The president’s actions threaten the accord to ease sanctions on Iran, which was negotiated by the US, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

That could further destabilise the economic and security situation in Iran, which has close links with China. The two countries have economic, trade and energy ties, with China relying on oil imports from Iran while Tehran looks to China for investment, particularly stemming from its sprawling belt and road trade and infrastructure plan. Here are some of China’s main economic links to Iran.

Bilateral trade

China has become Iran’s top trading partner thanks to sizeable oil and gas exports. China imported 3.34 million tonnes of oil from Iran in August – the highest monthly level since 2006.